Overcoming Life's Trials

## Episode Title: Overcoming Life's Trials

### Episode Summary:
In this episode, we delve into the inevitable challenges everyone faces and emphasize the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and resilient spirit. Through the teachings of 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, we explore the trials faced by Paul and how his unwavering faith and determination serve as a model for overcoming adversity. We discuss the necessity of healing wounds, forgiving others, and cultivating the fruits of the Spirit to navigate life's difficulties effectively. Join us as we learn how to rise above our struggles and stay true to our mission, no matter what life throws our way.

### Key Insights:
1. **Universal Struggles**: Everyone goes through tough times; it's crucial to recognize this and not succumb to self-pity.
2. **Paul's Perseverance**: Drawing from 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul's numerous hardships illustrate the power of unwavering faith and dedication.
3. **Healing and Forgiveness**: Addressing and healing wounds is vital to prevent bitterness and maintain a healthy spirit. Forgiveness is essential for personal healing.
4. **Maintaining a Positive Attitude**: Bad days are inevitable, but cultivating a positive attitude and avoiding bitterness is crucial.
5. **Continuous Faith Building**: Regular prayer, scripture reading, and fellowship with other believers strengthen faith and resilience.
6. **Fruits of the Spirit**: Exhibiting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control helps navigate adversities.
7. **Bad Behavior is Never Justified**: Circumstances do not excuse bad behavior. Strive for the characteristics of the Spirit even in difficult situations.

### Quotes:
- "You are allowed bad days, but you are not allowed bad attitudes or bad spirits."
- "It doesn't matter that someone hurt you. You have to heal."
- "There is never a good reason for bad behavior."

### Actionable Takeaways:
- **Self-Reflection**: Identify areas in your life where you might be harboring bitterness or a bad attitude. Work on addressing and healing those wounds.
- **Forgiveness Practice**: Make a conscious effort to forgive those who have wronged you, even if they don't seek forgiveness.
- **Faith Building**: Incorporate daily practices of prayer, scripture reading, and fellowship to strengthen your faith and resilience.
- **Embody the Fruits of the Spirit**: Focus on cultivating the fruits of the Spirit in your daily interactions and responses to challenges.

### Recommendations:
- **YouTube Channel**: Check out "Beyond the Mic with Mike" for more inspirational content and discussions.
- **Books**: 
  - "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren
  - "Unshakeable Trust" by Joyce Meyer
- **Podcasts**:
  - "The Daily Hope" with Rick Warren
  - "Enjoying Everyday Life" with Joyce Meyer

### SEO Optimized Meta Description:
Explore how to overcome life's trials with a positive attitude and strong faith. Learn from Paul's experiences, the importance of forgiveness, and cultivating the fruits of the Spirit to navigate challenges. Listen to "Overcoming Life's Trials" for actionable insights and inspiration.

### Call to Action:
Don’t miss out on more inspiring episodes! Like, follow, and subscribe to stay updated. Check out our new YouTube channel, "Beyond the Mic with Mike," for deeper dives into overcoming life's challenges. Let's grow and overcome together!

Transcript

 Today's episode is titled Overcoming Life's Trials.  We're going to talk about how you have to overcome whatever happens with a good attitude and good spirit. Let's get started.  It is no secret that everyone experiences tough times.  It's easy to get tunnel vision. It's easy to get distracted and to feel alone, to feel like you're being picked on  and without being mean, it's easy to feel sorry for yourself and to get on your pity pot,  but we need to realize that everyone suffers and everyone goes through tough times.

I'm not here to make light of what you're going through  today. I'm going to challenge your attitude while you go through it.  2 Corinthians 11 and 23 through 28, and I'm going to use the common English version.  And this is Paul talking, says, Are they servants of Christ? I am a fool to talk this way, but I serve him better than they do.

I have worked harder and have been put in jail more times. I have been beaten with whips more and have been in danger of death more often. Five times the Jews gave me 39 lashes with the whip.  Three times the Romans beat me with a big stick. And once my enemies stoned me. I have been shipwrecked three times.

And I even had to spend a night and a day in the sea.  During my many travels, I have been in danger from rivers, robbers, my own people, and foreigners. My life has been in danger in cities. In deserts, at sea, and with people who only pretended to be the Lord's followers.  I have worked and struggled and spent many sleepless nights.

I have gone hungry and thirsty and often had nothing to eat. I have been cold from not having enough clothes to keep me warm. Besides everything else, each day I am burdened down worrying about all the churches.  That was Paul describing what he went through. And that was just his ministry.  In one of his letters, he says, see how large letters I write you.

I don't think he was talking about the leaf. I believe he was writing large letters and one writer said it could have been because he had bad vision and he's having to write large so he could see it. What if he had vision problems? What if he had physical ailments? What were the other life issues that he didn't write about here?

You know, he was writing about his minstrel issues, but  maybe he had arthritis. Maybe he had a bad back. He mentions the thorn in his flesh.  He, he struggled.  He was shipwrecked three times, but he kept sailing.  I know folks I'll, I'll never forget. I'll never quit making fun of the adults in my church. When I was a kid, the Burger King got robbed.

So they quit going to Burger King. That's the dumbest thing in the world. As if the McDonald's right beside it wouldn't get robbed. You know, that's the dumbest thing.  Oh no, they will only rob this one restaurant. They won't go 50 feet across the street and rob the other one.  But Paul was shipwrecked and he got into another boat and got.

And got shipwrecked and got into another boat and got shipwrecked. He continued his mission.  And that's what I want to encourage you today. We cannot get  distracted from our mission just because life rears its ugly head. We can not start to feel sorry for ourselves and say, I can't do it, or it's not worth it. 

You are allowed bad days, but you are not allowed bad attitudes or bad spirits.  You cannot develop bitterness. You cannot develop fear.  You have to keep going.  Here's the thing. The devil has faith in God. We know that the devil believes in one God and trembles. It's you he doubts.  That's why he's constantly attacking you  because you're the easy target. 

That's why you need to constantly build your faith in God. You need to constantly work on your regular prayer. You need to constantly read your scripture. You need to constantly have fellowship with other believers. Acts 2 42 puts fellowship right up there with prayer and doctrine.  It's not enough to just believe acts 2 38.

You have to fellowship and be unified. It's all together. And that's what makes us whole.  And if you're not.  Well, then there's a chink in your armor and the devil's going to find it.  We have to stay grounded in our faith to resist the devil's tactics.  Pastor Brian Kinsey in Pensacola, Florida was quoted one time saying, the hurts will come,  but it's how we deal with the wound.

That determines our destiny.  I did an illustration once with my youth group.  I took a water balloon, filled it with water, a balloon filled with water, tied it off, and then I took a needle  and I put a piece of tape over the balloon to keep it from expanding where I'm about to do this, and then I poked a hole through the tape, through the balloon and water started pouring out  and eventually the balloon  deflated all the way.

Now, what killed the balloon?  The needle?  No,  the needle did not kill the balloon.  The open wound killed the balloon.  So often we focus on the object  and we neglect to heal the wound.  And we'll sit there and we'll bleed out while pointing at what hurt us rather than healing our wounds.  Ephesians 4, 31 through 32 says let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice  and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. 

I'm going to read that again in the New Living Translation.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.  There has to be a process of healing. 

It doesn't matter that someone hurt you.  You have to heal.  Otherwise, you're going to develop it.  Something that's going to kill you. You're going to bleed out. You're going to have a bad attitude. You're going to have a bad spirit  and you'll never recover and you'll never be the same.  So what is the process of healing?

You have to acknowledge that pain, get help, get support, forgive.  It doesn't matter if they ask for forgiveness.  It doesn't matter if they want forgiveness.  Doesn't matter if they're sorry,  forgive them.  It's not for their benefit. It's for yours because you have to heal. 

Minister Rudy Bailey started a,  a devotion  every day. He was trying to come up with an inspirational thought and day eight was  his quote was there is never a good reason for bad behavior. 

It is important to acknowledge that circumstances do not justify bad behavior.  Let me repeat that to you one more time. Your circumstances do not justify bad behavior.  I don't care how angry they make you.  I don't care how bad they hurt you.  Circumstances do not justify bad behavior. Bad behavior.

Galatians 5,  22 through 23 lists the fruits of the spirit. We're talking about love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.  None of those is revenge.  None of those is justice.  God is just, he handles just. Vengeance is the Lord's.  When you try to take vengeance in your own hands, you're taking it from God.

You're stealing it.  But instead those fruits of the spirit, those are the characteristics that you should strive to exhibit.  Regardless of your situation,  that  is how you overcome life's trials.  Today's episode was short and sweet. I wanted to get straight to the point. These are things that I'm struggling with myself and I'm working on them.

So I don't come to you as some  hippie Dru. I come to you as your brother  saying, let's get better together. Let's work on this.  I ask that you continue to like follow and subscribe. Check out the new YouTube channel beyond the mic with Mike. Love you. Appreciate you. Thank you for everything you do to make this podcast a success.